Food waste disposer



Dec 3l, l R. J. MLINAR 3,419,224

FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Filed Deo. 16, 1966 INVENTOR United States Patent O3,419,224 FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Russell J. Mlinar, St. Paul, Minn.,assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec.16, 1966, Ser. No. 602,215 8 Claims. (Cl. 241-285) This inventionrelates to a food waste disposer and particularly to a resilientcombined tubular conduit and disposer hopper mount connecting the hopperwith a sink opening.

One of the features of this invention is to provide an improved foodwaste disposer of the type receiving food waste from a sink and grindingwaste into particles small enough to be ushed into a sewer in which thedisposer comprises a hopper having an entrance opening, a resilientcombined tubular conduit and mount for the disposer connecting the rimmeans of a sink opening to the rim means of a disposer hopper in whichcertain conduit portions are made of different resiliencies and theconduit functions as a combined sink seal, disposer hopper seal,disposer hopper support and uid conduit from the sink to the interior ofthe disposer hopper.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of certain embodiments thereof taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view partially in section of a food wastedisposer, a resilient tubular conduit and disposer mount and theadjacent portions of a sink bottom with portions of the apparatus beingshown in section.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to the top portion of FIG- URE 1 butillustrating a second embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 3 3 ofFIGURE 2.

In the embodiment of FIGURE l there is illustrated a food waste disposercomprising a hopper 11 having an entrance opening 12 around whichextends an outwardly and downwardly directed rim means 13. As can beseen from FIG. 1, a section through the flange describes an invertedU-shape having a planar base 14 and a downwardly extending outer rimflange 15 spaced from the outer surface of the hopper 11.

Connected to the rim means 13 is a resilient combined tubular conduitand mount 16. This conduit 16 is provided with a bottom part 17 shapedcomplementary to the rim means 13 in that it surrounds and receives therim means 13 including the base 14 and flange 15.

At the end of the conduit 16 opposite the bottom part 17 is a top part18 adapted to sealingly engage a flange 19 that surrounds the drainopening from the sink bottom 20.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 2 the conduit 21 is similar in every respectto the conduit 16 of` the first embodiment except that here the conduit21 is provided with displaceable resilient fingers 22 normallycooperating, as shown in FIGURE 2, to extend across the hopper entranceopening 12 but displaceable to permit passage of food waste into thehopper 11.

In both of the embodiments of FIGURES 1 and 2 the conduits 16 and 21 areconstructed of integral portions of resilient material such as rubberhaving different hardness and elasticities. Thus, in order to provide asecure seal at the sink flange 19 the top part 18 of each conduit is inthe form of a first stiff annular section. The resilient material issuthciently stiff so that it can take a high degree of load andvibration without breaking the seal of the sink flange 19. In otherwords, this resilient material is known as high durometer. An example ofa durometer hardness range that can be employed is that of 75 to riccdurometer with 90 durometer being a practical example. In each ofconduits 16 and 21 the bottom part 17 of the conduit is constructed inthe form of a second stiff annular section to sealingly engage andsupport the disposer 10. This bottom part is stiff in order to maintainthe sealing engagement with the rim means 13 but is not as stiff as thetop part 18.

One way of constructing the bottom part or second stiff annnular section17 is to make it of alternate stiff and less stiff sections 23 and 24 inwhich the sections 23 are more resilient than the sections 24. A typicalrange of durometers for section 23 is 40 to 80 durometer with 6() beinga practical example. A usable range of hardness or stiffness for thesection 24 is 75 to 95 durometer with 90 being a practical durometerhardness.

Interconnecting the annular sections 17 and 18 is an intermediatetubular section 25 in the shape of a truncated cone with the small endat the sink flange 19. This section 25 functions as a flexible shockabsorbing section intermediate the ends 17 and 18 in order to absorb theshock and vibration of the operating disposer 10, to reduce the noise ofoperation in this manner and yet provide a fluid tight conduit forfluids leaving the sink and passing into the disposer. rl'his section 25is soft and resilient and is preferably of a hardness intermediate thatof the first stiff annular section 18 and the second stiff annularsection 17. In a specific embodiment a usable flexible material and onethat simplifies construction is a rubber having the same durometerhardness as that of the section 24y that forms an alternate part of thesecond stiff annular section 17 on the bottom of the conduit 16.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiments shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be notlimited by any of the details of description, unless otherwisespecified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scopeas set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A food waste disposer communicating with a sink opening having rimmeans to receive food waste through said opening, comprising: a disposerhopper having an entrance opening defined by rim means; and a resilienttubular conduit and mount connecting said rim means of the sink and saidrim means of the hopper to support the hopper and provide enclosed fluidflow means from said sink to said hopper, said conduit having a firststiff annular section at one end sealingly engaging and supported bysaid sink opening rim means, a second stiff annular section at theopposite end sealingly engaging said entrance opening rim means andsupporting said hopper, and a flexible shock absorbing sectionintermediate said ends.

2. The disposer of claim 1 wherein said second stiff annular section hasa resilience greater than that of said first section and less than thatof said flexible shock absorbing section.

3. The disposer of claim 2 wherein said second stiff annular sectioncomprises alternate, integral, side-by-side portions of stiff and exibleresilient material.

4. The disposer of claim 1 wherein said conduit is provided withinwardlly extending flexible fingers integral with said shock absorbingsection partially blocking said conduit but displaceable to permitpassage of food waste into said hopper.

5. The disposer of claim 1 wherein said sink opening rim means has arecessed upper surface part and said first annular section has a surfacepart complementa-ry to and received on said recessed part.

6. The disposer of claim 1 wherein said disposer rim means has adownwardly extending annular flange spaced 3 outwardly from said hopperand said second annular section is provided with a groove retaining saidflange.

7. The disposer of claim 1 wherein said sink opening rim means has arecessed upper surface part and said rst annular section has a surfacepart complementary to and received on said recessed part, and saiddisposer rim means has a downwardly extending annular ange spacedoutwardly from said hopper and said second annular section is providedwith a groove retaining said ange.

8. The disposer of claim 7 wherein said second stiff annular section hasa resiliency greater than that of said rst section and less than that ofsaid flexible shock absorbing section, and said second stiff annularsection comprises alternate, integral, side-by-side portions of stiftand exible resilient material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1958 Jordan 24H- 100,5 11/1958Jordan 241-100.5 7/1959 Brucken 241-285 6/1960 Coss 241-32.5 12/1960Jacobs 241--100-5 12/1960 Jordan 241-285 4/1961 Brucken et al 241-10057/1962 Woodson et al 241--100.5

U.S. Cl. X.R.

1. A FOOD WASTE DISPOSER COMMUNICATING WITH A SINK OPENING HAVING RIMMEANS TO RECEIVE FOOD WASTE THROUGH SAID OPENING, COMPRISING: A DISPOSERHOPPER HAVING AN ENTRANCE OPENING DEFINED BY RIM MEANS; AND A RESILENTTUBULAR CONDUIT AND MOUNT CONNECTING SAID RIM MEANS OF THE SINK AND SAIDRIM MEANS OF THE HOPPER TO SUPPORT THE HOPPER AND PROVIDE ENCLOSED FLUIDFLOW MEANS FROM SAID SINK TO SAID HOPPER, SAID CONDUIT HAVING A FIRSTSTIFF ANNULAR SECTION AT ONE END SEALINGLY ENGAGING AND SUPPORTED BY